Tigers, revelers, generations of family call rancho home

Jeannie Lawrence and her son Brett Lawrence stand in front of Rancho Las Lomas' grand salon. This 8,000-square-foot building used to be the home of the Lawrence family until it was converted to an event space in 1993.ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Visit the ranch

Rancho Las Lomas, at 19191 Lawrence Canyon, is not open to the public. So unless you're lucky enough to be invited to a wedding or other special event there, you've got two options for seeing the estate and zoological garden:

•Buy a ticket to one of the Lawrence family's annual charity events.There's a country music festival May 19, for example, along with a reggae festival in July, a Sunday Funday carnival in August and a Christmas in the Cages celebration.

•Arrange a private tour. Any group of eight or more can arrange a tour of the ranch at a cost of $10 per person. Funds support the nonprofit foundation's mission to care for and educate the public about the wildlife that lives at Rancho Las Lomas.

For more information or to schedule a tour, call 949-888-3080, email info@rancholaslomas.com or visit rancholaslomas.com.

SILVERADO – Each weekend, hundreds of revelers dressed in their finest turn out of the traffic speeding along Santiago Canyon Road in southeast Orange County.

They pass through dark wooden gates and under a white adobe archway, entering a land where the air is perfumed with rose and orange blossom, peacocks roam free, and Bengal tigers lounge in the dappled sunlight.

Drivers weave for a moment around red-roofed bungalows and an 80-year-old barn, stopping at a round valet tower flanked by palm trees. As they hand over their keys and start out along the cobblestoned path, parrots squawk greetings of "hello."

For the next several hours, as they celebrate a wedding or company milestone, visitors will make this land their home. They'll sip cocktails around the fountain, eat dinner in the grand salon and take photos beneath the flowering crape myrtle tree.

For the last 36 years, Rancho Las Lomas has been home to the Lawrence family. They once played volleyball in the pool housing that fountain, lived in that grand salon and established roots with the planting of that white myrtle tree.

"I want to share Rancho," said Jeannie Lawrence, 56, who founded the venue and nonprofit zoo with her late husband. "It's really an honor to do it."

PARENTS PLANT A LEGACY

Richard Lee Lawrence – known to all as Rick – got his start as a Newport Beach developer.

In 1968, he began leasing portions of the historic McFadden Building, which wraps around the 2100 block of West Ocean Front across from the Newport Pier. He operated several different restaurants at the site, including Alley West and Newport Oyster Bar and Grill.

After he married Jeannie in 1980, the two transformed the storied Doryman's Inn. Later, they opened 21 Oceanfront restaurant, where Jeannie – once an aspiring actress – enjoyed playing host.

In a closely followed deal, the Lawrences sold the Newport Beach property in 2001, fixing their attention on Rancho Las Lomas.

"We grew up here," said son Brett Lawrence, 30, who now runs the ranch and lives in one of its bungalows.

Rick acquired the 32-acre estate in 1977 from John Klug, founder of Pacesetter Homes. Legend has it the land backing up to Portola Hills was won through a bet on a horse race – a report hinted at but never confirmed by the family.

The estate's name is Spanish for "ranch of the rolling hills," carrying on Rick's initials along with his vision.

"He wanted to find a place to build his own little Portugal," Brett said.

Jeannie Lawrence and her son Brett Lawrence stand in front of Rancho Las Lomas' grand salon. This 8,000-square-foot building used to be the home of the Lawrence family until it was converted to an event space in 1993. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Jeannie Lawrence and her youngest son, Brett Lawrence, stand in front of Rancho Las Lomas' "teatro." The structure was built in 1987, just as the Silverado estate started to become a working event center. Now the arch serves as the ceremony site for most of the 100-plus weddings held at Rancho Las Lomas each year. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Ziddle and Zaddle enjoy eating their lunch during a warm early afternoon. The pair of Plains zebras came to Rancho Las Lomas from a zoo in Richmond, Va. when they were 5 and 7 months old. Now 3 and 4 years, Zid and Zad remain a favorite of the estate's founder, Jeannie Lawrence. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A rare white Bengal tiger, 7-foot-long Sumo shares his enclosure at Rancho Las Lomas with a 6-foot-long female named Lily. Sumo is 7 years old and entertains guests by playing in the pool and balancing on the top of the pond's big red ball. Lily, 8, turns the charm on whenever male visitors come around, strolling up to the fence to roll on the ground, stick out her tongue and keep eye contact. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Tonka and Zomba are 10-year-old brothers who haven't been apart since the day the orange Bengal tigers were born, having been bottle-fed as cubs at Rancho Las Lomas. Zomba, who likes to hide behind the enclosure's “furniture,” weighs 450 pounds while his brother weighs 460 pounds. Though male tigers would rarely occupy the same territory in the wild, Tonka and Zomba get along well other than the occasional sibling rivalry. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Six-month-old Daisy examines the camera while visiting her zebra friends, Ziddle and Zaddle. The Lawrence family has always kept golden retrievers at Rancho Las Lomas, with Daisy and 9-month-old Skylar now calling the Silverado estate home.
Brandy is the only chocolate-colored alpaca at Rancho Las Lomas, joined by three white female alpacas: Pretty Boy, Cleatus and Mayor. Staff members shear the alpacas once a year, using their fur to make rugs, scarfs and other items put to use in the Lawrence Canyon event center. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Rancho Las Lomas is still home to around 60 of the 400 Navel and Valencia orange trees that were planted around the property some 100 years ago. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
One of two caracals at Rancho Las Lomas reacts as resident golden retriever pups Daisy and Skyler approach his cage. Though 8-year-old Ivan and 12-year-old Nigel often hiss and swat at each other, they can also often be found curled up together in their back room. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A roadway that leads through some of the animal enclosures is lined with oak trees. Some of Rancho Las Lomas' oak and sycamore trees are thought to be between 400 and 500 years old. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A "Tiger Zone" sign in front of Tonka and Zombo's cage at Rancho Las Lomas. Both orange Bengal tigers were born on the same date and raised at the Silverado estate. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Among the lush vegetation present at Rancho Las Lomas is some 10,000 palm trees planted by the estate's founder, Richard Lee Lawrence. These palms flock the entrance to the venue's main office, with a telephone booth from London nestled in the garden. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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